


but as weeks went by good would turn to best

by brandywine421



Series: chiseled out of brick 'verse [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2015-11-25
Packaged: 2018-05-02 13:30:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5249936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brandywine421/pseuds/brandywine421
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Non-linear drabbles in my fluffy maria/steve chiseled 'verse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. spill

**Author's Note:**

> In continuing my 6+ year record of burning out before finishing my Nano project, I am posting some drabbly updates to some of my existing works. These aren't linear and take place in various places in the future of the chiseled 'verse. Mostly fluffy but there will be some plot at some point.

  
"Um, Maria?  This is a lot more money than I thought it would be," Peter said, holding up his phone.

"Don't flash your account information like that, Barton would already be hacking your account," she replied without looking away from her multiple screens.  "Sit down, we need to have a conversation."

He wished he had left without asking but his aunt would never forgive him.  He sat.

Maria Hill was a force of nature and even if she managed to stay mostly nameless in the media - she ran the backup teams for the Avengers with ruthless efficiency.  She was respected but she'd earned it.  He had deleted a few shots of her in his reports to help how he could to maintain her anonymity.  She worked with Steve and Tony and their missions ran like clockwork compared to his fumbling battles.

"Nan-E's looking out, the kids ran out of steam a couple of hours ago," Peter said but he felt stupid when he saw the small window in the corner of the closest monitor showing the nursery.

"So.  You're a smart kid, Parker," she said, turning away from the screens and focusing her sharp eyes on him.  "Spiderman, not so smart."

His stomach sank but she held up a finger.  "Wait."

He waited.

"You're solo, I get that.  You have your aunt to think about and school and you need your secret identity, it's the best plan for you right now no matter what others may think," she continued.  "You can't be an Avenger and no matter how much Tony and Pepper try to hire you for SI, you're still a kid and have to follow your own way.  But, having that said - you have to open yourself up to a little help sometimes."

"Maria..."

"No," she stopped him.  "You can't go to the hospital when you get hurt, but you can come here.  You can't call your aunt if you get arrested but you can call Tony.  If you need support while you're fighting a giant mechanical octopus, you can call Barton or Barnes.  Everyone knows you're Spiderman but they like you too much to confront you about it.  I let you watch my kids, Peter, that's a pretty big sign of trust on our side considering you're on the NYPD's most wanted list."

He let out a breath.  "Did you know that when you asked me?"

She shrugged.  "Clint and Bruce did, I think, but the rest of us figured it out pretty quickly."

Peter covered his face with his hand.  "Shit."

"I'm not here to bust your balls, kid.  I just want you to realize you're not just a babysitter.  This team, it's my family.  Well, Steve and the kids are my family-family but the rest of these assholes are my family, too.  You're like our good nephew.  Johnny Storm's our bad nephew," she said, frowning.

"I don't know what you want me to do here," Peter admitted.

She sighed and circled her finger in the air.  "JARVIS can scan your biometrics and give you access to our bad nephew's balcony on the 108th floor.  The balcony's coded for him and he doesn't have to stagger in drunk and on fire if he needs a place to crash.  You can use his balcony and take the spare room without having to tell anyone that you're here."

Peter blinked at her.  "That's it?"

"We can protect ourselves.  Don't take your job home with you, not when you live with someone that doesn't know you're a superhero," Maria said.  "Nothing's going to change whether you take us up on it or not, but it would make everyone sleep a little easier if we knew you would come to us when you need help.  Tony wants to tweak your web-shooters, Bruce wants to study your DNA, Steve and Natasha want to teach you hand to hand, and I'm pretty sure Barton wants to practice shooting at you when you're swinging around.  I'm not asking you to 'come out of the closet' but it would be nice if you could come to dinner without tiptoeing around that part of your life."

Peter had spent a lot of dinners with the Avengers and they'd always welcomed him and treated him as an equal, not a kid.  Well, they still treated him like a kid, but with respect for his brains and apparently his secret job.

"You're doing fine on your own but that battle in The Bronx last week was a clusterfuck, Peter." she sighed.  "And it's been eating at you since but you won't talk about it.  Not that I'm not offering because I'm busy as hell, but anyone in this Tower knows what you're going through.  You've got Steve if you need a fluffy pep talk, Bruce if you want clinical, Tony if you hate yourself - we're each other's therapy, okay?  Don't be afraid to talk to us.  We work with SHIELD, but we don't work for them.  We'll protect you better than a shitty paparazzi job can.  Okay?"

He nodded slowly.

"You're the best sitter we have so I hope I didn't scare you off," Maria said, her eyes soft when she glanced at him.

"Maybe.  I'll stay for dinner."

Maria smiled.  "It's Barton's night to cook, so take that into consideration."

He returned her smile but he still felt hollow from her lecture.  "Do you think I should have done something differently last week?"

She tilted her head thoughtfully.  "I can't honestly answer that because I don't know all the details.  You had to triage the situation, take out the bad guy and minimize civilian casualties - and you did that, but Peter, we can never prepare for everything.  The bad guys are responsible for the casualties, not you.  You did everything you could - and it was enough because you stopped that guy."

Steve stepped into the room in his workout clothes and Peter sighed.  Steve frowned and raised an eyebrow at Maria.

"I'm Spiderman," Peter said.

"Oh.  Sure.  Do you want to talk about it?" Steve asked after a beat.

"Yeah," he conceded.

Steve squeezed his shoulder and Peter made a mental note to never admit how much better that made him feel.  He hoped going for the fluffy choice of pep talk would work out as well.

 


	2. fave

 

"I'm here, I swear, I'm just trying to get the blood out of my hair," Steve answered before she can greet him.

He could hear her frown.  "There wasn't a mission."

"Uh.  A tiny one.  Popped off on when I was on the subway," he replied.  "We handled it, it was Spiderman's so - "

"Peter okay?"

"He has his camera, he's setting up in the back.  Can't miss Drew's first recital.  Is Sarah still pouting?"

"We had a talk, she's excited now.  We have to go for Thai afterward, though so Mom's pouting instead."

He smiled and pushed a hand through his hair, satisfied that he didn't look like an unkempt serial killer.  "See you in five."

He was excited to see his son perform, even if it was ballet and not little league (and he'd never admit that he liked watching Sarah's karate matches more because favoritism was bad).  The concept of classical dance training for six year olds was way over his head but Maria and Rose's eyes lit up every time he would spin around and show off a new move.  Steve knew more about spin kicks than spins but he was really trying to learn.

He checked himself in the mirror again and then tiptoed into the dim auditorium and followed his instincts to his family.  Well, he followed his daughter's frantic waving but it was really the same thing.

He leaned in to kiss Maria's cheek and smile at Rose and Sarah slid herself onto his lap before he finished.  "Daddy, you were almost late, you weren't late to my last meet so that means you like me better, right?"

"I love both my babies equally, Sarah," he replied automatically, smiling as she rose to the bait.

"I'm not a baby," she whispered.

"Don't rile her up," Maria warned.

He settled her onto his lap as the lights went down completely.

Rose told him that rivalry was normal with siblings close in age but Steve hadn't expected his kids to be so competitive at before they hit second grade.  Or third, in Drew's case, marking another tally in the unspoken ranking between the twins.

His son smiled brightly when he spotted them in the audience and Steve smiled right back.  He was so proud and so goddamn lucky.

 

 


	3. snake

  
Sam kept the dwindling cluster of children in his peripheral vision as he tallied another unmarked sedan parking at the end of the block.  
  
Only a few kids were left so the security guards were off doing final rounds and Sam was the last teacher on pickup duty out front.  
  
He was slightly relieved when Cassie's Dad pulled up in his rusted old Camaro that always put the bougie parents on edge.  Sam liked Scott and appreciated how hard he worked, legally now, to be in his daughter's life.  Sam joined him on the curb while Cassie finished up with the Hill twins.  Probably plotting more nefarious pranks on the fifth graders.  
  
"Hey, man, sorry I'm late, traffic is shit today," Scott said.  
  
"I'm here late anyway tonight, they have chorus practice and I have to make sure no one's getting pregnant in the unlocked bathrooms," Sam replied.  He lowered his voice.  "Hey, does anything seem weird around here today?  You got any warrants out?"  
  
Scott glared at him but his eyes were alert as he mapped the schoolyard, parking lot and streets beyond.  "Huh.  They don't look like cops to me.  Something else."  
  
"I haven't seen the news in a few hours, you think some of that shit down in DC has to do with one of the kids?" Sam asked thoughtfully.  
  
"Hope not, for all our sakes," Scott replied.  He hesitated.  "Maybe I'll hang out until the Hill spawn get off safe."  
  
"They're not that bad," Sam snorted.  
  
"The boy, sure, he's an angel but that girl, she's a bad influence," Scott replied.  
  
Sam nodded his chin as a car he recognized pulled in.  "That guy's on their pick-up list."  
  
"Mr. Wilson?  We don't want to go with him," Drew said.  Sam was reassured by the fact that Scott jumped in surprise, too, at the boy's silent approach.  
  
"What?  Mr. Ward's on your list," Sam said, recalling the name.  The man hadn't gotten out of the car yet but the passenger window rolled down slightly.  
  
"Things are different now, the list is different now," Drew said in a low voice.  "Please.  Mom and Dad aren't answering their phones and that's protocol black and - we can't go with him.  The list is different for protocol black."  
  
Sam glanced at Scott who was equally unsettled by the kid's words.  
  
"Come on, Sarah and Drew, it's time to go!" Mr. Ward called through the window.  Sarah and Cassie ignored him and joined Drew at their side.  
  
"I count ten, only three cars, though," Sarah murmured to Drew.  
  
"Uh, let me talk to Mr. Ward and see if he's heard from your parents," Sam said.  
  
"Maybe you guys can come home with Cassie today and your parents can pick you up there," Scott offered.  
  
Sam approached the car as Mr. Ward stepped out.  "Hey, you weren't down to pick up the kids today, is everything all right at home?"  
  
The man grinned and Sam's instincts went on high alert.  Something was definitely different today.  He sensed movement behind him but didn't drop his focus.  He wasn't on the battlefield, he worked at a fancy private school now.  He'd take custody dispute over live rounds any day.  
  
"Their mom's stuck in traffic and I was close by," Mr. Ward said.  
  
"She usually would have called ahead, let me just double check and - " Sam started.  
  
"ON YOUR LEFT!" Sarah screamed, interrupting his sentence and Sam ducked automatically and only got skimmed and spun instead of knocked out cold by the fist.  
  
He was vaguely aware between swings that Scott had corralled the children into his car and was fighting off the sudden ambush on his own.  
  
Sam finally got a grip on the fucker pegged on him and flipped him, slamming him down hard on the sidewalk.  He turned to take care of that smug Ward asshole that brought violence onto school property and sucked in a breath when he spotted him leaning into the window of the Camaro reaching for Drew.  
  
Another man launched at Sam and he took him out quickly with a kick to the shins and stomp to the back.  
  
Drew smiled brightly at Ward and reached out his hand.  Before Sam could yell, the kid twisted Ward's fingers and snapped his teeth down.  Sarah lunged and gripped chunks of the howling man's hair and kneed him in the face before kicking him backwards out of the window.  Sam barely managed to knock out the next thug in his way before the skitter of Ward's chomped fingers caught his attention again.  
  
That was definitely a violation that needed to go in the rulebook, Jesus.  "Scott - "  
  
"Get in the car, Sam!"  
  
"We called 911, assholes!" Cassie bellowed from the backseat.  Sam hurried to help Scott finish off the goons that weren't running at the sound of approaching sirens and cursed himself when the car door swung open and Drew toppled, no, more like leaped, onto the sidewalk and kicked Mr. Ward in the balls with a crunch.  
  
He crouched on his chest with his small, delicate hands on the much larger man's throat.  "Think bringing us in will impress your boss?  Think it'll make you look tough to drag in two helpless preteens crying for their parents?  You're going to wish you were dead when my Dad finds you."    
  
The 10 year old ballet prodigy with PSAT scores higher than Sam's choked out the would-be kidnapper on the street while Sam and Scott tried to keep up with the last man standing.  
  
"Get all the SIM cards - we need the data!" Sarah called.  
  
"What the hell is this?" Sam panted.  
  
"I don't know, but I think we need to get out of here before anybody else shows up.  I don't think the twins' parents are people we want to fuck with," Scott whispered.  
  
Sarah leaned her head through the window.  "Our dad is Captain America and protocol black means he's not answering his phone.  Will you please drive us somewhere so my brother can brush his teeth?"  
  
 **Shit**.  Sam hurried over and yanked Drew to his feet where he was still crouched on Mr. Ward's chest.  "Are you all right?"  
  
"If Grant's HYDRA, then they know about me and Sarah," Drew whispered.  "Nobody's supposed to know who our Dad is."  
  
"Come on, kid, let's get off the street and talk about it somewhere else," Sam said, squeezing his shoulder and guiding him to the car.  
  
 **Shit**.  
  
  



	4. something old

"We can't find anyone to stay with the kids because they all want to come to the wedding," Pepper said, easily trading her tablet for Drew.  Her son's eyes lit up at the sight of her jewelry and fisted tiny grabby hands at her.  Luckily, Sarah was sleeping too soundly to spot The Shiny.  
  
Maria groaned.  "I knew we should have just gone to the justice of the peace."  
  
Pepper shuddered.  "Your mother would kill all of us."  
  
"We can always park them in the corner with Nan-E," Maria suggested.  She didn't like leaving the twins alone when they were still so small but she wanted to marry Steve.  She had children.  This was real now and if she could be a mother, she was finally sure she could be a wife, too.  
  
Pepper hummed and rocked Drew gently when he yawned.  "I'll come up with something.  You've already got the wedding scaled down to the shortest ceremony ever - "  
  
"The reception's the most important part," Maria pointed out.  
  
"True, and your fiance's a crier so it'll probably be for the best to keep the service short," Pepper grinned.  She lowered Drew into the crib beside his sister.  
  
"Hey, it's great for my cred to keep my man on the verge of tears," she laughed and didn't care that she would be considered 'soft'.  Pepper was a friend, one that never wore a uniform and she wasn't sure she ever had that before.  
  
Hell, her 'maid' of honor was Phil - she could definitely use more female friends.  
  
"You're marrying Captain America, Maria, I think your 'cred' is fine," Pepper snorted.  
  
    ***  
  
"I should have been notified immediately."  
  
Maria turned sharply at the clipped British voice.  Agent Thirteen didn't bother to look apologetic.  Retired Director Carter judged her with alert eyes from her wheelchair.  God, people thought Rose was scary.  
  
Peggy.  She knew Steve was in touch with the woman, his first love and for a while, the only person alive that he'd known longer than a few months.  But she hadn't thought of sending a wedding invitation.  Shit, she was awful at real world etiquette but surely you didn't invite the ex...  
  
"Sharon, my dear niece, has not been filling in all of the blanks," Peggy said sternly.  "Steven tells me he's met a nice girl, that she takes him dancing and doesn't take any of his shit."  
  
Maria tried not to stand at attention but Agent Thirteen had the balls to snicker.  She never liked her.  
  
"I may have gone a little overboard scolding him for knocking you up, but there's no reason I wasn't told he was getting married," Peggy huffed.  
  
"He didn't tell you?" Maria asked.  
  
Peggy narrowed her eyes at her.  She tried not to flinch.  
  
"Aunt Peggy," Agent Thirteen said.  
  
"Of course he told me, you daft woman," Peggy grinned suddenly.  "Steve wouldn't let me give him a wedding gift unless it was in person."  
  
"She wants to see the babies," Agent Thirteen stated.  Hell, Maria would have to start calling her Sharon.  
  
"That wasn't very nice," Maria mumbled but waved them toward the nursery.  She was going to have a lot of words for Steve for springing this on her.  
  
"Your mother thought it was hilarious," Peggy laughed, bright despite her age.  
  
Sure enough, her mother was already laughing when they joined her in the nursery.  
  
Peggy was transfixed on her twins, and who wouldn't be when they were so adorable.  Sharon cleared her throat.  "This is only encouraging her to harass me about my spinsterhood."  
  
"That's my right as an old woman with no children of my own to harass," Peggy said, cooing at Drew as she held Sarah.  "Sharon's going to watch the twins while Steve makes an honest woman out of you."  
  
"As if Maria's ever been honest," Rose smirked.  
  
Maria shared an exasperated look with Sharon.  
  
"I guess the harassment doesn't stop when you pop out the kids," Sharon sighed.  
  
"It never stops," Maria whispered.  
  
  



	5. debrief

  
_"I swear, I'll get them - just breathe and for fuck's sake, stop bleeding - I promise, Steve, I swear - "_  
  
Bucky shook off his thoughts and focused on the mission.  The twins.  Steve's kids.  Bucky's fucking family - the kids - fuck.  HYDRA had taken everything from him.  They wouldn't get this - they wouldn't ruin Steve, too - they -  
  
Focus.  Sarah and Drew.  Drew and Sarah.  HYDRA could wait; he had to get the kids.  
  
HYDRA had been to the school.  Fucking Grant Ward - a man he considered a friend - had tried to take their kids.  Bucky at least had his dismembered fingers in his pocket.  He doubted HYDRA would spend the money or resources to give him metal fingers, the bastard.  
  
But they knew about the kids.  Grant was on the approved list of babysitters - he'd been a part of their lives almost as long as Bucky, on the perimeter at least.  
  
And if the missing fingers were the work of one of the twins - then HYDRA knew the kids had their father's gifts.  They would be hunted.  
  
Bucky would kill anyone that came near those kids.  Steve and Maria earned them, they deserved them and Bucky would give up anything to keep them safe.  
  
An address popped up on his burner phone.  He wasn't sure who it was until he read it.  Tony.  _*Protocol black?  Cap's gonna kick your ass.  Try Ant-Man's place.*_  
  
He let out a breath and half-laugh. They remembered.  They remembered the protocols Bucky and Natasha taught them behind their parents' back.  God, please let them be okay.  
  
But who the fuck was Ant-Man?  
  
    ***  
  
Scott smiled as he covered his daughter with a blanket and she snuggled into the couch.  The two strays were still on high alert in the other room, staying far from the windows.  Apparently windows weren't allowed for 'protocol black'.  
  
His daughter had seen too much violence today but he wondered how much the twins had seen if they were really the children of the most famous American superhero.  
  
He hadn't even known Captain America had a girlfriend, let alone kids.  He rejoined Sam and they both sat across from the twins.  It felt way too much like an interrogation but this was important.  
  
"All right, guys.  Do we have to worry about any other bad guys showing up to get you?" Scott asked.  
  
Drew and Sarah glanced at each other.  
  
"We're, kind of, involved now and we've followed your instructions this far," Sam added.  Scott hoped the guy didn't lose his job, he was a good teacher.  
  
Sarah squared her shoulders.  "Our dad's Captain America.  He doesn't shave the day before he has to come to school so no one recognizes him.  He's been married to our Mom since we were born, he has her name in public."  
  
"If anyone finds out about us, they'll use us against him," Drew said quietly.  
  
Sarah took her brother's hand.  "We can never let them take us.  HYDRA, they messed up our uncle, they're evil and we can never let them take us."  
  
"Please don't tell Dad about the fingers," Drew said, even quieter.  
  
Scott glanced at Sam.  They hadn't talked about it yet, but both of them knew that it would take a helluva bite to sever bone.  
  
"Mom and Dad don't know that we're strong," Sarah whispered.  "It would make everything even more dangerous."  
  
"Protocol black means we have to do whatever we can to get away," Drew said.  
  
"So your parents don't know that you have...gifts?" Sam asked.  
  
They shook their heads.  "Uncle Bucky, Aunt Nat and Uncle Bruce are the only ones that know," Sarah said.  "Mom and Dad are already way overprotective, they would lock us in the tower forever."  
  
"Shit," Sam sighed.  
  
"So, protocol black, what happens now?" Scott asked.  
  
"We find somewhere safe and hide until someone comes for us.  You're Ant-Man, so, you're safe," Sarah said.  
  
Sam glared at Scott sharply.  
  
"Oh.  Sorry," Sarah winced.  
  
"So Cassie's the one that keeps breaking the ant farms?" Sam demanded.  
  
Scott held up his hands.  "No idea, no comment."  He turned back to the twins.  "How do you know that?"  
  
"Mom knows everything," Drew said.  "Dad doesn't get involved with vigilantes if they handle their own stuff.  Daredevil, Spiderman, Flash, you - you all do good stuff.  He's not the superhero police or anything.  Uncle Tony wants to play with your suit, but Dad says it's not his business.  Uncle Tony hates your boss."  
  
Scott was pretty sure Hank hated Stark, too, but he kept his mouth shut.  
  
"Is there someone we can call for you?" Sam asked.  
  
"No - not even with a burner phone.  They'll find us.  They have to find us," Sarah said.  
  
"This is so bad.  SHIELD - Mom used to work with them until they fired her.  They backed up the Avengers, and we've known Mr. Ward forever and he was evil," Drew whispered.  "This is worse than anything Uncle Bucky warned us about."  
  
Scott reached over and patted their clasped hands.  "You'll be safe here."  
  
There was an audible thunk outside and everyone stiffened.  Scott stood up.  "I'll check it out."  Before he made it to his suit, there was a knock on the door.  
  
Would HYDRA goons knock?  He'd fought solo supervillains before, but HYDRA was a movement.  
  
Another knock and a muted hiss.  He smiled.  His friends must be on the job and a lot of people didn't like ants.  
  
He opened the door and vaguely recognized the scruffy man in black standing on the porch with ants covering his entire left arm.  
  
The man blinked at him.  "I think I'm at the right place.  Can you call off your pals and let me see the twins now?"  
  
"BUCKY!" Sarah rushed past him and threw her arms around the man's waist.  
  
Scott slid in his earpiece and called off the ants and they scurried off his arm revealing shiny metal.  Shit.  Winter Soldier.  "Come in the house."  
  
Bucky held onto Sarah tightly, his worry and affection visible as he stepped in so Scott could close the door.  "Drew?"  
  
Drew walked in calmly and let the man embrace him around his sister before bursting into muffled tears.  
  
"Hey, calm down," Bucky soothed.  "You both did so well, so good - "  
  
"Where's Dad?  Where's Mom?" Sarah asked.  
  
"They're safe, your mom's with Fury - "  
  
"The TV said he was dead," Drew choked out.  
  
"You know your fake grandpa doesn't go down easy.  Sure, he's dead," Bucky winked.  
  
"We saw Daddy fall," Sarah said.  
  
Bucky hesitated.  Scott wondered how he could be so notoriously cold when he had so much emotion stark on his face today.  "He took some hits but he'll be alright.  You two are his only priority right now."  
  
"Can we see him?" Drew asked.  
  
"Not yet, kid.  It's not safe," Bucky said.  "As soon as some of this stuff dies down, we'll get you home but right now - "  
  
"Protocol black, we know," Drew sniffled.  
  
"You look like you could use a cup of coffee," Scott sighed.  
  
"More like a case of beer, but I can deal with coffee," Bucky replied with the twins still attached to him like barnacles.  
  


**Author's Note:**

> title belongs to "The Neighbourhood"


End file.
